Women’s safety audit underlines commitment to safe campus

Members of Nipissing University’s executive team recently participated in the annual Women’s Safety Audit, touring all of the North Bay campus facilities.The group consisted of Dr. Mike DeGagné, president; Richard Onley, vice-president, finance and administration; Dr. Harley d'Entremont, vice-president academic and research; Cheryl Sutton, director of human resources; Jeff Landry, manager, environmental health and safety; and Sandy Broughton, Security. Donning cold-weather gear on a frigid late November night, the group performed an extensive, two-plus hour audit of all facilities, including parking lots, residences, the monastery and the monastery trail. “Nipissing is dedicated to providing a safe campus environment for our students, faculty, staff, and community members to enjoy,” said DeGagné. “This was an opportunity to see what has been implemented and how effectively it is functioning. I was impressed with the value of the safety initiatives that are currently in use.” “We found a few issues with emergency phones that are already being addressed by technicians. As well, there were a few dark areas due to burnt out lights, which are also being addressed,” said Landry. Nipissing is provided a grant from the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities to improve women’s safety on campus. Each year, Nipissing’s manager of environmental health and safety asks the campus community for suggestions to improve women’s safety. Any suggestions can be emailed tojeffl@nipissingu.ca.